Fringe / Season 5 and box sets

Co-creator J.J. Abrams has updated The X-files for the noughties with this science fiction series that has FBI agent Olivia Dunham, Scientist Walter Bishop (fresh from a mental institution…) and his son Peter Bishop, regularly looking into strange phenomena working from within the ‘Fringe Division’ of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

What starts out in season one as a fairly generic procedural sci-fi crime drama, develops into something genuinely intriguing – a story arc develops (peaking in seasons two and three) that takes in parallel universes, doppelgängers, alternate timelines and baldheaded mystery ‘observers’ that turn up at significant events in time.

Superb performances from Anna Torv (Dunham) and John Noble (Walter Bishop) coupled with amazing production values, make the show all the more satisfying and very addictive.

The Fringe team in action

The whole thing reaches a climax next week, in the US, with the final episodes to Season 5 – the final season. If you’re in the UK you will know that Fringe is criminally ignored by the broadcasters over here, which probably explains why Season 5 is available to pre-order over here before the US (due out in May). If you haven’t seen the series yet, then lucky you. You have five amazing seasons to sit through – there are plenty of box-set options to chose from.